Chapter 19
Jensen
Natalie looked good enough to eat, even in her winter coat. I could see the memory of our night together flash through her eyes when I picked her up. It was almost as satisfying as the multiple orgasms I’d given her.
We got in my car, and I turned my thoughts to the business at hand.
“Maple did some digging for us,” I began. “I have his address, as well as some initial findings.”
“What did she find out?”
“On social media, he says he’s in finance. He owns a home here and one in the Seattle area. He travels extensively and appears to have an interest in art as well as history. Lots of trips to museums when he’s abroad. Obviously, that makes him very interesting to us.”
“Wait, finance? That’s so weird.”
“Why?”
“There’s this woman here in town, Louise Haven. She’s like an amateur matchmaker. I ran into her not that long ago, and she was trying to talk me into letting her set me up with her friend’s grandson. She said he works in finance and doesn’t live here full-time. I wonder if that was Julian.”
“Certainly possible. If he has a grandmother here, it might explain why he chose Tilikum.”
“I did wonder why a guy who can afford a ten-thousand-dollar suit would move here. Although he wouldn’t be the first wealthy person to relocate to the mountains. Some do it for the scenery. Others like the small town because they can be a big fish in a small pond.”
“I’m interested in how he can afford that ten-thousand-dollar suit. And his imported statues, and whatever other luxuries are making him the subject of town gossip.”
“Don’t people in finance make good money?”
“Not all of them, and it depends on what ‘finance’ means. He also might have another, less reputable, source of income.”
“Do you think he’s the thief? Or the money behind the thief?”
“At this point, he could be either. The right buyer would pay a considerable amount for the necklace. And if that wasn’t his first score, perhaps that’s why he’s strutting around in a Brioni.”
“Or maybe he’s the one who wanted the necklace, and he had the money to hire someone to get it for him.”
“Precisely.”
“So what’s the plan?”
I smirked at her. “You like plans, don’t you?”
“I’m a quintessential oldest child. I can’t help it.”
“The plan is, we take a look and go from there.”
She took a deep breath and let it out through pursed lips. “Okay.”
“Nervous?”
“A little.”
“You’re going to do great.”
Julian’s house wasn’t far outside town. His street was filled with homes elaborately decorated for Christmas, almost as if they’d coordinated with each other. All except his. Not a sign of Christmas anywhere on his property.
What a Scrooge.
The driveway was gated, and an iron fence surrounded the front. Based on the map, it was backed by the river, although the water wasn’t visible from the street. I slowed as we passed, noting security cameras at the gate and more mounted on the house.
Interesting.
“Now I see why the guys at the Timberbeast were talking about his statues,” Natalie said.
So could I. It wasn’t just their size, although they were quite large. They were out of place, their classical Greek style an odd contrast to the rustic luxury of his mansion.
I passed the driveway entrance and pulled over a short distance up the road.
“I don’t plan to let you out of my sight, but just in case we get separated.” I gave her an earpiece and placed mine in my ear.
“Thanks. This actually makes me feel better. It’s like a tiny security blanket.”
“You need to tell me now if you’re not up for this. You were in an accident yesterday.”
“I feel surprisingly good. I’m sore, but I can move around just fine.”
I met her eyes. “Are you sure?”
Her lips twitched in a smile. “Jensen, after what you did to me this morning, you should know what I can handle.”
I groaned at the memory. “God, that was good. I can’t wait to ravage you again.”
She playfully smacked my arm. “Focus.”
“Fine. He has security cameras at the gate and more on the house. We’ll have to find a way to get close without being seen.”
“He doesn’t have armed guards too, does he?”
“Let’s hope not.”
“I was kidding. Do you think he might?”
“You never know. Nothing surprises me anymore.”
Except you, Natalie. You surprise me a great deal.
We got out and I glanced around, taking note of where I’d parked, the curve of the road, and the neighboring houses.
They were spaced apart, on large pieces of property.
Julian’s house wasn’t the only one with a gate, but I didn’t see any others with obvious cameras.
Trees, hedges, and thick landscaping hid most of the other homes from the road, which also meant it was unlikely we’d be seen on any of the neighbors’ doorbell cameras.
“The gate is an obstacle I’d rather avoid,” I said, scanning the trees surrounding the house. “If the whole property is fenced in, we might be out of luck in terms of getting close. But the back side faces the river. He could be counting on that as a natural barrier, giving us a place to get in.”
“Lead the way.”
Natalie’s wardrobe selections came in handy once again.
My blue flannel and jeans, with the coat and boots, were perfect for tromping through the slice of woods next to Julian’s property.
She was similarly dressed, with a coat over her long-sleeve shirt and jeans, and her hair spilling out beneath her knit hat.
Still delicious, despite the layers.
We darted across the road and picked our way through the accumulated snow beneath the trees. Luckily, more was falling, so it wouldn’t take long to obscure our tracks. The biting cold flushed Natalie’s cheeks, and I looked forward to warming her up later.
The ground sloped downward toward the river, and rushing water filled the air as we got closer. We emerged onto a rocky bluff. Ice crusted the riverbanks, but the middle still flowed by.
Following the edge, we carefully made our way toward Julian’s property. As I’d hoped, it was open on the side of the river—no fence to be seen.
But that didn’t mean a lack of security. There would almost certainly be cameras.
We crept closer and crouched behind a pair of trees. I could see where the fence ended. With the way the ground sloped, it wouldn’t be easy to get into his yard. It was steep and rocky, and no doubt very slick.
“What do you think?” Natalie whispered. “Can we get closer?”
I glanced down at the glacial river, and my brow furrowed. Sliding down the slope and winding up in the water could be fatal. I would not take that chance with her.
“Not from here. Too steep.” I pulled a small pair of binoculars from an inside pocket and looked through them. They automatically adjusted focus, sharpening my view of the house. “He has cameras on the back side as well.”
“Can you tell if there are any blind spots?”
I kept looking. “There’s no clear approach from here. He’s awfully concerned about security.”
“Is it just me, or does it seem excessive?”
“Excessive for your average Tilikum resident, probably. He either has something to protect, something to hide, or he’s bloody paranoid.”
“Maybe all three.”
“That would be my guess.” I lowered the binoculars and offered them to Natalie. “Do you want to take a look?”
The smile that lit up her face warmed me against the cold. She looked through them, first at the house, then out across the river.
“These are amazing.”
“We’re not supposed to have them, strictly speaking. Press the side, there, and they’ll take photos.”
She pressed it and gasped. “So cool.”
“Take some of the house, would you? The cameras, back door, windows.”
“Oh my gosh, I can see right into his window.” She paused. “What is that?”
She handed me the binoculars and I took a second look. One of the ground floor windows opened into a large dining room. The binoculars refocused, zeroing in on the interior. A large painting in an ornate frame hung above a sideboard, with a vase and other decor on display.
“He certainly has interesting taste,” I said. “I can’t tell from here if those are originals or not. But if they are, they’re expensive.”
“But did you see the sparkly thing?”
“No.” I looked again. That time, a fleck of light caught my eye. I tapped a button to focus on the spot. “What do we have here?”
It wasn’t the Emerald Crown. But it was jewelry.
“Julian gets more interesting by the minute,” I said. “It looks like a gold brooch with a large green stone—an emerald, if it’s real—in a display frame. It’s either an antique or made to look like one. Certainly displayed like a treasure. I wonder where he got it.”
“All the cameras make more sense.”
I lowered the binoculars. “Indeed they do. He certainly seems to be a collector. The question is whether he’s also a thief. Or paid for one.”
We couldn’t do much more from where we were, so I replaced the binoculars and gestured that we return the way we’d come.
Natalie went ahead of me and retraced our steps through the snow.
She got closer to the edge than I would have liked, and the hit of adrenaline at the thought of her falling down the slope and into the river made my heart rate rise.
I let out a small breath of relief when we turned back toward the road.
The view through the window had given me a glimpse, but I wasn’t satisfied. Ultimately, I needed to get inside the house, but that would require more planning and preparation. Still, I didn’t want to leave without getting a better idea of what we were dealing with.
Angling toward the house again, we came to the fence.
From that vantage, I could see into the front.
The landscaping on the back side of the house was largely natural, with the river as the focal point.
But the front was intricate, even in the snow.
The outline of lit paths and a large pond were visible.
I took more pictures, noting a small corridor outside the view of the cameras that might get me close to the house. Egress windows indicated a basement—and a possible way inside.